It’s a question we’ve been discussing seriously behind the scenes. In an era where the lines between professional networking and social entertainment are blurring, we wanted to settle the debate once and for all. This isn’t a joke or a fleeting trend—it’s a strategic conversation about how we connect with the next generation of talent.
To get to the bottom of it, we brought together two distinct perspectives from our team: our Gen Z Marketing Specialist, Viktoriya Ikonomova (the TikTok native), and our Millennial Employer Branding Specialist, Tsvetelina Gocheva (the professional skeptic).
Here is how it went down.
The Gen Z View: “If You’re Not There, You’re Missing the Point”
Viktoriya’s Position: Authenticity, Visibility & Relevance
From a Gen Z perspective, platforms like TikTok aren’t just “nice to have” – they’re where attention already lives. And if you want to connect with people, especially future talent, you need to meet them where they are.
Drop the Corporate Tone But Keep the Culture: TikTok isn’t the place for polished, overly scripted messaging. What works is everyday work life – inside jokes, small moments, shared struggles. A quick, relatable office scenario can say more about a company culture than a full corporate presentation ever could.
Trends Are a Shortcut to Relevance: There’s a constant flow of trends that shape how content is consumed. When used right, they’re not “cringe” – they’re context. Adapting trends to your company voice shows awareness, creativity, and the ability to stay current without losing identity.
Video ≠ Less Professional: Being present on a platform like TikTok doesn’t make a company less serious or less competent. It simply shows another layer of it. Your expertise is still there – this just makes it more accessible, more human, and easier to connect with.
Show Me the People, Not Just the Role: If I’m considering applying somewhere, I want to see who I’ll be working with – not just read a job description. Are they approachable? Do they have a sense of humor? Is the environment open and collaborative? TikTok works as a recruitment channel, just not in the traditional way. It shows the real experience – team dynamics, office atmosphere, small perks, and everyday moments. And that’s exactly what makes someone think, “I could see myself here.”
Attention Spans Are Short, So Let’s Make It Count: This isn’t just about Gen Z – it’s everyone! People want quick, engaging content that either entertains or informs without taking too much time. Short-form video does exactly that. Even job opportunities can be presented in a way that feels dynamic instead of static.
The Millennial View: “The Cringe Factor and the Language of Authenticity”
Tsvetelina’s Position: Strategic Caution & The Human Edge
Tsvetelina admits that her first instinct is to be wary of corporate “trend-jumping.” In a world where a trend can live and die in a matter of hours, she argues that slow-moving corporate decision-making often leads to companies joining the conversation exactly when the genuine users are backing away.
Avoiding the “Eager” Trap: We don’t want to look like we’re trying too hard to speak a language we don’t naturally know. At Updata One, we value clarity and depth. Before we step onto a platform like TikTok, we have to make sure we aren’t just there to look trendy, but because we actually have something real to say.
The AI vs. Reality Gap: While anyone can use AI to translate an email or a job post into “Gen Z speak”, you can’t do that with real people on video. You cannot script or force authenticity. If we are going to be on TikTok, it has to be our real people and their real reactions – the good stuff and the silly stuff too.
Professionalism in the AI Era: In a time when we emphasize the ‘human in the loop’ for our technical deliverables, that same philosophy applies to our culture. Our work speaks for itself. We don’t need our people to look like robots to deliver great results. People drink coffee, they joke, and yes, they occasionally participate in a silly TikTok challenge. That is exactly what makes us human, and that’s what we value most about our team.
The Common Ground: Where the Two Worlds Meet
Despite the generational gap, both specialists arrived at the same conclusion: Candidates hire companies just as much as companies hire candidates.
In a competitive market, candidates are looking for clues about a company’s culture. TikTok provides those clues in a way that feels unscripted and honest. At Updata One, we decided that if we are going to ask people to join our community, we owe it to them to show them who we really are—memes, office bloopers, and all.
The Verdict
So, should companies be on TikTok? Yes—but only if they are willing to be real. So, we’re here to show you the faces, the projects, and the culture that makes us who we are.
Curious if we passed the cringe check? 👉 Follow Updata One on TikTok here.
